What are the responsibilities and job description for the Principal Thermal Systems Engineer (CFD) position at Oxford Global Resources?
Job Title: Principal Thermal Systems Engineer (CFD)
Location: San Jose, CA - Onsite
6-12 months Temp-to-Perm/Full-time
Target Start Date: ASAP
Job Description:
We are seeking a Principal Thermal Systems Engineer (CFD) to lead advanced thermal analysis and simulation efforts supporting the development of complex industrial and energy-related products. This role will play a critical part in optimizing system performance, improving reliability, and guiding engineering decisions through analytical and simulation-based methods.
The successful candidate will work across multiple engineering disciplines to evaluate thermal behavior, airflow characteristics, cooling strategies, and overall system performance throughout the product development lifecycle.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead thermal analysis and simulation activities for complex mechanical and electromechanical systems.
- Develop predictive models to evaluate heat transfer, airflow distribution, temperature management, and overall system performance.
- Provide engineering recommendations that influence product architecture, design decisions, and performance optimization efforts.
- Support development programs from concept through validation and production readiness.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to assess technical feasibility and identify opportunities for design improvement.
- Present findings and recommendations to engineering leadership and project stakeholders.
- Support testing, validation, and correlation activities to ensure analytical models accurately represent real-world performance.
- Improve simulation methodologies, modeling approaches, and engineering processes to enhance prediction accuracy and efficiency.
- Contribute to technical problem-solving efforts related to performance, reliability, and thermal management challenges.
Requirements:
- REQUIRED - Master's or PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Thermal Sciences, or a related discipline.
- 8 years of industry experience utilizing CFD in Thermal management, in Electronics System/Data center cooling.
- Highly skilled in one of the CFD tools: Ansys Icepak/Cadence/Fluent (Icepak or Cadence Preferred and can give in-depth examples of when/where they've utilized this)
- Strong foundation in heat transfer, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and numerical analysis methods.
- Experience utilizing commercial engineering simulation software for thermal and flow analysis.
- Ability to develop simplified engineering calculations alongside detailed simulation models to support design decisions.
- Experience supporting complex product development programs in industrial, energy, transportation, electronics, or related industries.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple technical priorities while maintaining high-quality deliverables.
- Experience mentoring engineers and providing technical leadership on challenging engineering problems.
- Strong analytical thinking, troubleshooting abilities, and engineering judgment.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
Preferred Experience:
- Experience with cooling system design, airflow management, thermal optimization, or environmental performance analysis.
- Familiarity with validation testing and model correlation techniques.
- Exposure to highly integrated mechanical, electrical, or industrial equipment systems.
Salary : $90 - $110